In an era where digital presence has become paramount, safeguarding online assets like the YouTube channels becomes crucial.
Several celebrities and content creators have fallen victim to hackers and lost some of their content on YouTube.
For instance, popular Kikuyu Gospel Singer Phyllis Mbuthia lost her YouTube channel that had over 300k subscribers in June 2023.
“Somebody has just taken my YouTube account with over 300,000 subscribers and discarded it just like that. The account which I had built in seven years has been deleted in six hours or fewer. At least they should have given it to someone else,” she noted then.
Similarly, social media influencer and musician Diana Marua in 2022, announced that her YouTube channel was hacked and deleted.
While sharing the news with her fans on Instagram, Diana lamented over the incident, saying she had done nothing to deserve the ‘cruel’ act.
“I have lived at peace with everyone, and I have always stayed on my lane; I don’t know why anyone would do this to me! You hack my YouTube account; change the name and even worse you delete it,” she wrote.
These are just a few examples of users losing their accounts to hackers. From their complaints, you can clearly notice elements of frustration, anger, and hopelessness, especially for accounts that had amassed huge subscription.
As such, there is need to learn how to safeguard and recover hacked YouTube accounts.
Who is a Hacker
Hackers are individuals who gain unauthorized access to a computer system or a network mostly for malicious reasons.
They may be motivated by a variety of factors, including the installation of malware, theft or destruction of data, disruption of a service, or the discovery and correction of software vulnerabilities.
Hackers primarily utilize phishing tactics to gain unauthorized access to Google accounts. It could entail fooling consumers into inputting their account login details via a bogus message or email.
Notably, phishing is a type of cyberattack designed to deceive people into revealing sensitive information.
Also, Malware could potentially be distributed by embedding it in questionable URLs or documents.
How to Know your Account has Been Compromised
Nevertheless, for one to recover a hacked YouTube account, they need to first confirm that the account or channel has been compromised.
If you can no longer log in to your YouTube account, although you’re using the correct login details, then your account is compromised.
Also, another sign of a compromised account is finding changes that you did not make such as your profile picture or uploaded videos.
How to Recover Your YouTube Channel
Here are some actionable tips to reclaim control of your hacked YouTube account.
- To begin with, try logging into your Google account.
- If your account has been breached but you can still sign into your Google account, visit the Security tab on the account’s page and sign out any unfamiliar device that has logged in.
- However, if you are unable to access your account, you need to go to the account recovery page, and answer the questions as best you can, as per Google Help Center.
- Google will then ask you to verify your identity.
- As such, follow the prompts, which may include providing a recovery email or phone number.
- Also, you will have to reset your password when prompted. At this point, it is advisable to select a strong password that you haven’t already used elsewhere.
- Review Account Settings including email, recovery options, and linked devices. Ensure that they are accurate and secure.
- Further, enable a two-step verification to increase the security of your account. This adds an extra layer of protection.
- Review your YouTube account activity for any unauthorized or suspicious changes, such as video uploads or channel modifications.
- If you are still having issues restoring your account, contact YouTube support for further assistance. Use the “Help & Feedback” option on the YouTube app or website.
Also Read: WhatsApp Launches New Chat Feature for Photos &Videos
How to Keep Your Account Safe
Never share your email address and password information with others.
Avoid downloading files or software from a source that you don’t trust.
Do not install unknown apps or apps from unknown sources. Thus, manage and remove any apps you don’t need from your connected accounts.
Also, make sure you have your software updated and account backed up to protect against suspicious messages and content.
Also Read: WhatsApp Users to Soon Start Paying for Storage
Similarly, avoid replying to suspicious emails, texts, instant messages, webpages, or phone calls that ask for your personal or financial info.
Do not click links in emails, messages, webpages, or pop-ups from untrustworthy websites or senders.
YouTube emails only come from YouTube or Google email addresses.
Stay clear of suspicious web pages, report spam or phishing and set and check permissions on your channel.
